Cork sulky rider 'who had too much to drink' jailed and banned from driving 

A sulky driver hit a car with his horse-drawn carriage near Inchydoney beach.

A man has been jailed for a month and banned from driving - and riding horses - for five years after an incident in which a sulky collided with a car.

Richie Williamson, of Moses Road in Clonakilty, was intoxicated while driving the horse-drawn sulky at speed when it was involved in the incident on a road between Clonakilty and Inchydoney beach, Clonakilty District Court was told.

Gardai had initially brought a dangerous driving charge against him, and a second charge under the Road Traffic Act of driving an animal-drawn vehicle while under the influence, but the latter charge was withdrawn.

Sgt Paul Kelly told Judge James McNulty that gardaí were alerted to an incident on April 15 last, when a white BMW being driven towards Inchydoney from Clonakilty stopped as it observed the horse-drawn sulky coming towards it "at speed".

Sgt Kelly said the horse had swerved the car but the sulky hit the driver's side of the vehicle, with the sulky falling on its side and the horse also on its side.

Trapped underneath

Williamson, who had been driving the sulky, got his ankle trapped underneath the sulky.

An ambulance arrived and gardaí at the scene observed Williamson was highly intoxicated, the court heard, while the defendant also had a bag with seven cans of beer in it.

Williamson had 76 previous convictions, most for public order offences.

His solicitor, Eamonn Fleming, said Williamson had been using the sulky as his mode of transport.

"He had too much to drink and he was going too quickly," Ms Fleming said, adding that the horse's reactions had probably been better than his client's in the situation.

Judge McNulty said it must have made for a "serious and distressing event", with a horse and sulky on their sides, a man trapped underneath it and a woman in the car which was hit.

Mr Fleming said his client was extremely regretful and remorseful.

Gross irresponsibility

The judge said the incident "crossed the threshold" when it came to Williamson's offending, describing what happened as "gross irresponsibility" and one which warranted a custodial sentence.

He imposed a four-month sentence, three months of which were to be suspended on conditions, and disqualified Williamson from driving for five years, which he said was to include a sulky. Mr Fleming queried this but the court later heard the Act did allow for horse-drawn vehicles to be included.

There was then a further query as to whether the court could ban  Williamson from riding a horse, with Judge McNulty saying he wanted this as a condition of the suspension of the three months of the sentence: "He is not to be riding a horse through the town of Clonakilty or anywhere else".

The judge said he wanted "no grey areas" and Mr Fleming, having consulted with his client, agreed to conditions including no riding of horses in a public place.

"You are not to be driving any animal-drawn or animal-driven vehicle, nor are you to be hopping up on a horse and riding around West Cork," Judge McNulty said.

He also pleaded guilty to a separate charge of being drunk in a public place, relating to an incident at Youghals in Clonakilty on May 29 last, for which he was fined €200.